Episode 28 (revised) Chris Diplock – The Thingery

[* updated 28 May with correct audio file and amended intro - and our apologies. If your podcast app has auto downloaded and you have Episode 27 audio, please delete the audio and refresh.  Sorry!] In this episode, Catherine Weetman talks to Chris Diplock, in Canada. Chris is the Founder and CEO of The Thingery, the parent organization of neighbourhood Thingery branches, and a leader in Vancouver’s collaborative economy The Thingery focuses on the development of community-owned lending libraries of things (in other words, a Thingery). Chris has extensive experience in Vancouver’s Sharing Economy, having co-founded The Vancouver Tool Library and led a city-wide research project called The Sharing Project. You could describe the Thingery as a ‘library in a box’ – the box being a shipping container! The containers are solar-powered and so can be sited in disused spaces near the communities that will use them. Technology allows people to access the container and then use the built-in systems to easily log what they are borrowing or returning.  That means it is less reliant on volunteers and can be open 24/7 if needed. Chris wants to make it easy for any community, worldwide, to set up their own Library of Things. We hear about the concept, the funding model, and the practicalities. Podcast host Catherine Weetman is a circular economy business advisor, workshop facilitator, speaker and writer.  Her award-winning book, includes lots of practical examples and tips on getting started.  Catherine founded Rethink Global in 2013, to help businesses use circular, sustainable approaches to build a better business (and a better world). Stay in touch for free insights and updates... Read on for a summary of the podcast and links to the people, organisations and other resources we mention. You can subscribe to the podcast series on iTunes, Google Podcasts, PlayerFM, Spotify, TuneIn, or search for "circular economy" in your favourite podcast app.  Stay in touch to get free insights and updates, direct to your inbox... Links we mention in the episode:* Catherine’s webinar for Economia Circular Brasil https://www.rethinkglobal.info/webinar-for-economia-circular-brasil/   * Contact Chris: [email protected]* The Thingery http://thethingery.com/* Social media* Books and other companies* Right to Repair in the EU https://repair.eu/* Global repair moving iFixit – article about the right to repair https://www.ifixit.com/Right-to-Repair/Intro* Read more about The Thingery and other Libraries of Things in this article https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/apr/24/library-of-things-borrowing-scheme-conquer-world* Precious P...